Journalist. Mother. Bunny enthusiast. Pop culture junkie.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

It is in your best interest to read every word, or you won't experience the same kind of horror I did, when I first learned the tale.

If you're a little older than me, or perhaps from New York, you may know this story already.

It is the story of Linda Riss and Burt Pugach.

I recently saw a documentary about the couple.

In 1959, Burt Pugach was a successful 30-something-year-old lawyer in New York City. He was driving with a buddy in the Bronx one day, when he saw a gorgeous young woman sitting on a bench. He practically jumped out of the moving car to introduce himself to the beauty.

She was 21-year-old Linda Riss, a kind-hearted girl from a poor family.

Dazzled by his wealth and charm, Linda agreed to go out with Burt, much to the delight of her lower middle class family. Burt took her to the hottest clubs in New York City, showing her off to his jealous friends. Linda became absolutely smitten with the adoring older man.

But one day, Linda found out that Burt was married, with a young daughter. She was heart-broken and disgusted. She broke off their relationship. Burt begged her to come back to him and even showed her some divorce papers to prove he was leaving his wife.

Linda was about to relent, because she loved Burt, but then her family's lawyer discovered that the divorce papers were fake. Burt had no intention of leaving his family for her. So, Linda broke things off with Burt for good.

Burt begged her to come back. She wouldn't relent. He started to become obsessed with her. He called her apartment dozens of times per day. He called her family and her friends. He stood across from her apartment every day. He followed her everywhere she went.

He event sent her a threatening note, saying if he couldn't have her, nobody could.

Linda was frightened and went to the police several times. But 1959 was a time before stalking laws were in place. The police shrugged off the incidents and told Linda there was nothing she could do.

Meanwhile, Linda tried desperately to move on with her life. She soon met a very handsome young man and they became engaged.

When Burt heard about the engagement, he was livid. Overwhelmed by jealousy and hatred, he hired a few men off the street and whispered a plan to them.

One afternoon, the doorbell rang at Linda's apartment. Linda's mom answered it and called out to her daughter that it was a deliveryman with a wedding package.

When Linda came into the doorway, the fake delivery man threw acid in her face.

The 23-year-old beauty was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance and was there for several days.

But it was too late. She was blind and facially disfigured.

The incident made national news. Burt was the most hated man in America that year. He received 14 years in prison.

Despite the sympathy pouring in from millions of people, Linda's life was destroyed.

Her fiance broke off their engagement. Not because Linda was no longer beautiful, but because he simply couldn't afford to take care of her, now that she was visually handicapped.

For the rest of her 20s, Linda dated various men, but the relationships all ended when she took off her sunglasses and revealed the horror underneath.

She became painfully depressed and incredibly lonely. She spent the next decade holed up in her tiny apartment in New York City, hating her life.

And during those years, Burt never left her alone. He called her from jail every week and wrote her letters every day. He was still obsessed with her. She couldn't escape him.

In 1974, Burt was released from jail and he immediately contacted Linda, desperate to see her in person. Against her better judgement, Linda accepted.

When she went to see Burt for dinner, he apologized for ruining her life and asked her to marry him.

Linda accepted.

Although she hated Burt for what he had done, she could tell he was truly sorry and he still loved her. Plus, she was lonely and living in squalor. The finally-divorced Burt was a wealthy meal ticket who could take care of her. She truly didn't believe she had anyone else. She was desperate.

The two married that year.

Their marriage shocked the entire nation. They were the subject of every talk show, news report, and magazine article in the country that year.

Linda's family and friends were appalled. But Linda saw it a different way. She felt she finally had a man who still thought she was beautiful, despite the physical damage he had caused. Plus, what better payback than to force him to see what he had done every single day for the rest of his life?

Their marriage appeared to be oddly blissful until 1997, when a young woman accused Burt of threatening her life. Although Linda was hurt when she discovered her husband had been having an affair with the woman, she was a character witness during the trial, stating her husband wouldn't harm a fly.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

My bestie Jonny came to visit, so I sort of put my life on hold for a few days and had fun.

It was a lovely weekend. On Saturday night, we met up with Jonny's friend, Greg, who was visiting from NYC. We went to an art show, dined at a fancy restaurant, and then headed over to my favorite lounge to listen to live jazz music and sip cocktails.

On Monday, Jonny and I had a lazy day.

We made pumpkin pie and pumpkin challah.

Well, Jonny baked everything while I sat by and chain-drank grapefruit raspberry cocktails, let's be real.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

A couple days ago, I got caught up in a new television show, The Playboy Club.

I'm a huge fan of the 1960s and Mad Men, so I thought I would give the show a shot. I was pleasantly surprised that The Playboy Club focused less on sleaze and more on an exciting plot. So much happened in one hour!

I was instantly smitten with the main actress, Amber Heard, who is absolutely adorable.

I had seen her in a few films beforehand, and I knew she is starring with Johnny "spank me" Depp in the upcoming The Rum Diary (which I'm dying to see).

Well, after seeing her lovely debut as a Playboy Bunny in the new NBC show, I decided I simply had to know more about her!

The 25-year-old has a pretty interesting story.

Amber comes from a middle-class Catholic family in Austin, Texas.

In high school, she was active in her school's drama department and also did local modeling and television commercials.

When she was 16, however, her life changed forever.

Amber's best friend died in a car accident. The incident haunted Amber, who began reading depressing novels by Ayn Rand and George Orwell. She then proclaimed herself an athiest.

At 17, she eventually dropped out of high school and moved to New York City to become a model.

A very short time later, she found herself doing small parts in television and movies in Los Angeles.

As her career began to pick up speed, so did the public's interest in her.

Last year, Amber came out at GLAAD's 25th anniversary event. She is currently dating the famous Hawaiian artist and photographer, Tasya van Ree, who is ten years her senior.

When she's not busy working, Amber enjoys spending time with her girlfriend, traveling, line-dancing in Texas bars, cooking, doing her own laundry, and playing with her Golden teacup Yorkie named Pistol.

She is an avid gun enthusiast (you can take the girl out of Texas, but...) and she proudly owns a .357 Magnum.

She is also a huge fan of muscle cars and like a bad ass, drives a 1968 Ford Mustang.

Despite her climb to fame, Amber just wants to keep it real.

"I would just love to work in films for the rest of my life. I don't care about famous or about being anything like that. All I care about is living my life, being able to do what I love, working project to project, city to city, in films I believe in. That's the only way to live."

I had the honor of interviewing Amber, so you all could get the head's up on her new store and learn a little about the artist herself!

Enjoy!

How long have you been designing jewelery/accessories? Why did you start?My mother would probably want me to say that I have been designing things for a while. However, I really began focusing on designing accessories in late 2008. It was the Fall '09 DVF collection that got me started. I was in love with the pom pom like head pieces and was determined to create something similar. When her spring collection came out the following season, I nearly died. That's when I decided to create my own floral headpiece. At that time however, it was because I loved it, and simply wanted to share in the beauty.

How would you describe your collection?Urban woodland nymph, trying to take on a more polished outlook...but keeps slipping? Kidding! I'd say an innocent 1970's is Amberie's look. Definitely girly.

Where do you find your inspiration?My first inspiration came out of pure panic, actually. I was on a layover in Heathrow, flying from Nice, France and on my way back to San Francisco. It was September 2009. I had moved out to France just three weeks prior with big dreams. I had been saving throughout my four years of college in anticipation of moving abroad to experience the culture, food and language of another country. I had always known that I would choose France. I went over as an au pair, and the first night there, I nearly had a panic attack. It dawned on me that I had traveled thousands of miles to a sleep in a strange bed, and live with a family that I had really, never met. The first week went fine, but by the end of the second week the mother stopped speaking to me. A week later, an emergency ticket back home (not covered by the family), and one night spent in the airport, I was on my way home. To say that I was absolutely devastated would be an understatement.

I was suddenly without my dream of living abroad, without a job, broke, and had bills waiting for me. On the flight, I was determined to keep my head held high. I've always believed that dressing the way you love helps assert confidence, and I decided to wear my favorite headband. It was the floral DVF Spring 2009 inspired one that I had made nearly a year ago (at that time). I received such a positive response from people in Heathrow that I began to wonder if I had a business opportunity. It was on the flight between London and San Francisco that Amberie was born. I took out a loan of $35 from my boyfriend, and four months later I got into my first store!

Now what inspires me are the things that I find beautiful. I love flowers. I particularly love wearing flowers in my hair. Flowers, feathers and sparkles. I think those three things pretty much sum up Amberie.

What is your most popular item?You're never going to believe this: Black lace Bunny Headband, with black lace veil. They'll be out first thing October. Lady Gaga inspired that headband!

Anything else you want people to know about Amberie?Amberie is a play on French vocabulary. In French, where things are created, such as a bakery, they often end in "rie". So, a boulangerie is a bakery. So Amberie, is my little area of creativity.

What do you think of Amberie? Don't forget to check out Amberie on Facebook!

Monday, September 19, 2011

I watched the Emmys last night. I was so pleased Mad Men won for Best Drama. It is my favorite television show.

The red carpet looks were interesting. There were so many beautiful gowns waltzing around next to pure crap.

I decided to share my loves and hates with you:

LOVES

Nina Dobrev

I am kind of obsessed with The Vampire Diaries. And I'm kind of obsessed with Nina. She's an absolute doll. This lipstick red Donna Karan gown epitomizes everything I love about old-school Hollywood: glamour, beauty, and power.

Aubrey Plaza

This is another golden-era gown which caught my eye. I'm not usually attracted to white gowns, because they tend to look a bit bridal, but this Juan Carlos Obando creation is flawless. It fits the Parks & Rec actress like a liquid glove as well.

Sarah Hyland

This red carpet dress is extra special because the 20-year-old helped design it, along with Project Runway diva, Christian Siriano. How cool is that?! The Modern Family actress has very classy taste. The Grecian-inspired gown is quite sexy without being trashy. It's refreshing to see a young actress who respects that line.

Cobie Smulders

This actress is from How I Met Your Mother. I don't watch that show or know this girl. But now I want to know more about her after seeing this stunning Rene Caovilla gown. That shade of aqua takes my breath away.

Sofia Vergara

If I could have one wish, it would be to exchange bodies with this gorgeous Modern Family actress. How stunning is she in this Vera Wang beauty?!

HATES
Gwyneth PaltrowWaiting for someone to release her...out of that Emilio Pucci gown

Poor Gwynnie chose the wrong time to dress up in an old costume she bought at Christina Aguilera's garage sale. The Genie in a Bottle look is so 1999 and probably won't be back in style until our kids are old enough to make an ironic statement out of it.

Christina HendricksWhere did she go?

In my opinion, Christina has a rockin' hot bod built for old-school glamorous gowns. And with that fiery red hair, she would be pure sex in a bold, sassy color. So why she chose this ill-fitting silver gown which washes her out is beyond me. She told reporters that this was the only dress she tried on that looked good on her. She is either blind or has lower self-esteem than Eeyore.

Katie "I don't give a shit anymore" Cruise

Mrs. Tom Cruise no longer cares about fashion anymore. She chose a boring, casual dress from the Calvin Klein sportswear department and added a belt. The dress, while a pretty shade of blue, looks handmade. From the waist up, Katie also looks like she should be doing pilates with other suburban moms in an upscale community center.

Julianna Margulies' last minute disaster

My parents LOVE this woman. They are the biggest fans of her show, The Good Wife. Unfortunately, there is nothing good about this Giorgio Armani Prive gown. I want to rip off all the obnoxious plastic bubbles on top of the lampshade she's wearing around her chest. On the red carpet, Julianna said she chose the dress the night before. I guess all the somewhat decent gowns were already taken...beggars can't be choosers?

Paz De La HuertaWinner of the Love/Hate Award

Part-time actress, full-time hot mess Paz De La Huerta scored the most points for pissing me off.
On one hand, I love everything about the dress. That breathless shade of pink is divine and the overall design is glamorously lovely. It breaks my heart that Paz chose to ruin the dress with well, herself. She looks like a disheveled corpse doused in tanning spray. I seriously believe Pazzy must have woken up after a night of hard-core partying, threw on the dress and walked straight to the Kodak Theatre. The only thing missing was her family-sized bottle of Jack Daniels.